2013 International Sweet Wine Challenge

The line-up of wines at this year’s 2013 International Sweet Wine Challenge was anything but short with entries up on last year, proving it is fast becoming one of the leading global wine shows dedicated to the delights of non-fortified sweet wines.

A panel of expert judges including chief of judges Ben Edwards and international guest judge Madeleine Stenwreth MW, judged the wines and assessed the entries with the results announced at the awards presentation luncheon on Saturday 7 September.

Among the bronze, silver and gold medals, five wineries from three countries experienced the ultimate sweet taste of success, taking home a trophy.

The wine which claimed the ultimate title of 2013 international sweet wine of the year was the 2010 Blue Pyrenees Cellar Door Botrytis Riesling.

“I was very pleased with the high overall quality of the entries across such a wide spectrum of sweet wine styles,” judge Madeleine Strenwreth MW said.

“The best examples and trophy winners were bursting with personality, intensity and class while bright and lively acidity balanced the sweetness in a delightfully refreshing way.

“Once again it reminded me that these wines deserve so much more attention. “

Strenwreth said a medal on the bottle gives “lost” global consumers the guidance needed to enter the world of sweet wines.

“This international challenge is also an excellent benchmarking exercise for sweet wine producers of the world and entries should rightfully grow even further in the years to come.”

Local Riverina winery Lillypilly Estate also gave another strong performance this year, taking home the trophy for best sweet wine from the museum class, a special category for wines five years or older.

The Lillypilly 2002 Noble Blend is a highly decorated wine having won a total of 27 trophies.